Needs and wants. Wants and needs. Do we really need anything? We tend to convince ourselves so…

“I need a coffee.”

“I need that car.”

“I need to get out of town.”

Okay, yes, we “need” food and water to survive. But I’m talking about the act of mistaking luxuries for necessities.

We want a lot of things in life. But that doesn’t mean we can’t live with them.

The true test of self-discipline, try living without something you think you need.

Give up coffee for a week and see how you feel. Take a break from TV for a week and see what you notice around you.

Making these little changes in your life can help you first, get out of your comfort zone, but also, you will find out what you are capable of doing and what makes you happy. You will start to see the difference between a want and a need. You can eliminate the unessential.

I think one of the biggest problems we’ve run into in modern times is feeling that we need technology. The words, “I need my phone” are probably uttered way too often.

Photo by Benjaminrobyn Jespersen on Unsplash

Obviously, in this day in age, it is almost impossible to tell you to give up your phone or the internet for a week. Most of our jobs and daily lives depend on it. This is kind of sad when you think about it… But I will challenge you to take a day. On the weekend or on your day off…let your phone have a day off too.

When we take such a prominent thing out of our life’s equation we might be able to appreciate and enjoy other parts of our lives in a way we haven’t before.

Here we go again, living life the hard way. If we voluntarily put ourselves in situations where we are uncomfortable, we can learn about ourselves and what really makes us happy.

If you find, after a period of time, that life is miserable sans coffee then by all means, enjoy your coffee but at least you know it’s possible to go on without it. You do not need it, you want it and that’s okay.

Is there something in your life that you believe you “can’t live without”? How will you know unless you try?